Letter I Wrote to My Members of Congress after Watching Documentary "Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone"

I encourage you to watch the documentary Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone. Then take action. Attend your local peace group meeting. Ask people to watch the documentary. Write letters to your members of Congress. Become systematic with your consumer boycott by using the Boycat app. Do something. This is a copy of the email I sent to my members.

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Subject Header: Have You Watched the Documentary, "Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone?"

Last night, a group of us in Augusta, Georgia watched the BBC documentary "Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone."

You can watch it here: https://archive.org/details/gaza-how-to-survive-a-warzone_202502

The movie follows three children and some of the adults in their lives during the ongoing genocide that Israel, using USA funds and benefiting from USA political and military support, is perpetuating.

One of the children, Renad, copes by making cooking videos and posting them in social media. Another, Zakariyya, volunteered at al-Aqsa Hospital helping the paramedic Said transport the dead and wounded.

The movie ended during the period immediately following the ceasefire of January 15, 2025. The children survived, and they were extremely happy that (most of) the USA-funded Israeli attacks ended.

Of course, since then, the USA-supported Jewish supremacist state has resumed its massacres of Palestinians. I could hardly sleep last night wondering if the people from the documentary were still alive. Was Said one of the 15 medical and rescue personnel Israel summarily executed on March 23, 2025? https://apnews.com/article/gaza-medics-killed-israel-ambulances-f34b6ecc985d9127265a400bd52c72b7

I found one of Renad's social media channels. Her most recent post is dated March 13, 2025. Is she still alive?

Zakaria complained in the movie about lack of food. The Zionist colonizers have prevented the entry of supplies into Gaza since late February 2025.

And then my thoughts drift to the votes of my elected representatives in the US Congress: Senator Ossoff, Senator Warnock and Representative Rick Allen (GA-12). I ask myself, "Do they think the voters don't know that the USA-Israel killing spree continues? Do they expect people of conscience to support them just because their opponents in the next election might be 'worse'?"

I urge you to speak publicly for a ceasefire and vote for a cessation of all assistance to Israel, an end to hostilities with Yemenis enforcing international law through their blockade of Israeli shipping in the Red Sea , lifting the siege of Gaza and a resumption of funding of UNRWA.

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Note that Renad has posted again around April 15, 2025.

Center for Islam and Religious Freedom Poetry and Art Contests, Deadline July 10

Love Art and poetry? This very cool new nonprofit by altM EIC, Asma Uddin, has two summer contests with great prizes! Details at: http://www.IslamAndRF.org

A photo posted by altmuslimah (@altmuslimah) on Jun 23, 2016 at 10:07am PDT

The Center for Islam and Religious Freedom has a website with more information.

Everyday Iran on Twitter, Instagram & Facebook

Women dishing up a family gathering lunch. #Qazvin, #Iran. Photo by Mehdi Bidel @mehdibidel #everydayqazvin #everydayiran #everydayeverywhere خانم‌ها در حال کشیدن غذای یک مهمانیِ خانوادگی. #قزوین، #ایران. عکاس: مهدی بیدل

A photo posted by Everyday Iran (@everydayiran) on Apr 1, 2015 at 12:08pm PDT

As elements of the United States government continue to press for war with Iran, perhaps the most effective action for peace is to remind people everywhere that the victims of war will overwhelmingly be everyday Iranians, not the stereotyped, cartoonish villains whom warmongers portray with their rhetoric. For this purpose, I ask people to follow and share the pictures of Everyday Iran on Twitter and Instagram and Facebook.

Tweets by @everydayiran

Al-Maghrib Institute Needs to Distance Itself From This Misogynist

Over 7000 shares of my piece on @Niamatullah @almaghrib people are paying attention,do the right thing. http://t.co/A11QtzfNwB #FireAbuEesa
— rabia chaudry (@rabiasquared) March 11, 2014

This is Al-Maghrib Institute's website.

Hind Makki also wrote a piece on Muslim male allies. Sana Saeed wrote a piece about Muslims who criticize feminism.

Update 2014-Mar-15: Damsels in distress, the chivalrous caliph, and the misogynistic scholar: a modern fairy tale

Help Muslim Journeys Reach Your Local Library

This blog has long promoted Unity Productions Foundation (UPF). In its September 2012 newsletter, it asks its supporters to encourage their local libraries to apply for the American Library Association (ALA) Muslim Journeys Bookshelf and to offer their services as content experts (or recruit one!). The deadline to apply has been extended to October 25, 2012.

Help Bring Documentary Film Arctic Mosque to Completion

Support Yearning to Be Free on Kickstarter

I've pledged $60 to support a film project about a victim of the so-called War on Terror, Ahmad Abu-Ali. Please consider pledging your support.

Review: Addicted to War: Why the U.S. Can't Kick Militarism by Joel Andreas

The peace groups in which I participate distribute this book. It's an easy read which introduces most of the basic premises of the U.S. peace movements. Most residents of the United States will not know the basic facts introduced in this book. It also contains a directory of national peace organizations and a list of references for those who want to take the next step in advocating for peace.

At its website, you can read the book for free online and order printed copies.

Review: Son of Mountains by Yassin Aref

Son of Mountains: My Life as a Kurd and a Terror Suspect by Yassin Aref is now on my Amazon wish list. So look for an upcoming review.

Yassin Aref's lawyer appeared on Democracy Now! The War and Peace Report.

Amnesty International Report on Women

Amnesty International has released a report entitled "Egypt: Women Targeted by Association." A local Amnesty International member requested that I translated some letters to Gihan Ibrahim Abdelhamid, the longest-held female administrative detainee in Egypt, into Arabic. I've attached them to this blog entry in case you wanted to use them yourself. The report does not include instructions on how to send the letters, but in sha Allah I'll get that information and updated the blog entry.

Arabic religious letter (MS Word, TIF)
Arabic secular letter (MS Word, TIF)
English religious letter
English secular letter

Update April 20, 2011

Film: Mesalla: Activists in Iraq

LaOnf is an Iraqi organization working to promote non-violence in Iraq. September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows is promoting screenings of the film in the United States.

As far as I know, the film has not been released for distribution in the United States. I believe its production company is Doble Banda, a Spanish company.

There are some videos on blip.tv about the actions of LaOnf.



There is also a YouTube video:


I have not seen the movie. There are at least two values I hope this movie can convey. The first is Iraqis' agency. The second is my hope to learn more about the acceptance among us Muslims of nonviolent resistance. This latter goal is a big topic, so I'm not going to discuss it in this post.

And before I forget, there is a channel on YouTube entitled Nonviolence in the Middle East.

Petition in Support of Journalists in Palestine

Sign a petition condemning Israel’s attacks on journalists, particularly Mohammed Omer.

Update: NY Times reports Israel finds its army acted properly in the killing of Fadel Shana.

KABOBfest: Keffiyeh infiltrates our nation's youth

Funny video about the Dunkin Donuts kufiyya/Rachael Ray controvesy!



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkOpggUnZFM

The ANSWER Coalition launched a campaign to tell Dunkin Donuts that its response was incorrect.

Lawful Election Activities Advisory for U.S. Muslim 501(c)(3) Organizations

The Muslim Advocates and Alliance for Justice have issued an advisory and organized conference calls to educate Muslim 501(c)(3) organizations on how to avoid activities which jeopardize this status.

Military Recruitment: Sir, No Sir

One of the ways to end this war in Iraq and prevent war in Iran is to decrease the number of enlisting U.S. soldiers. The military is obviously very concerned with recruitment, even going to the extent of cooperating with Hollywood to produce pro-military films like Iron Man.

I recently saw the DVD of the film Sir, No Sir, and it is absolutely critical for every young person considering joining the military to watch this film. The official web site is http://www.sirnosir.com/.

For more information, also visit http://militarylies.typepad.com/.

I attended Private Ryan Jackson's court martial in Fort Gordon, GA on Friday, May 30, 2008.

A new film is being made about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

For those of you with children, please visit http://www.leavemychildalone.org/, which will inform you about how one of the provisions of No Child Left Behind is exposing children to military recruiters and will inform you how to opt out of your child's school's military recruitment list.

True Majority Video "Don't Bomb Iran"

http://www.truemajority.org/dontbombiran

Islamica Magazine in Trouble-Please Subscribe

I'm not affiliated with Islamica Magazine in any way. I'm a subscriber. I visited the web site today, http:/www.islamicamagazine.com, and there's a message describing some of the difficulties the magazine is going through. Please consider subscribing to it to help it get back on its feet, as it has produced quality articles in a sea of rubbish!

Vote for "Make it Your Own" Outstanding Projects

www.casefoundation.org/vote

This widget will send you straight to voting for my favorite, Leaders of the New School. Leaders of the New School is a project which aims to partner youth from the south side of Chicago together with artists and mentors to address and help resolve community issues utilizing hip hop and urban arts. Poverty, a lack of resources and senseless violence plague our communities and the youth are the ones paying the consequences. This project will provide an outlet for positive expression and engage and inspire youth in our communities to work for social change.



The other three I selected were Citizen Participation in New Orleans, Juveniles 4 Justice (J4J) in Philadelphia, and Corssing Borders in St. Paul, MN.

MoveOn.org-Endless War on the Installment Plan

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suNqiAgE1kw

Friends Committee on National Legislation Respond to General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker

I tried to listend to some of the testimony today, but I found it difficult to stomach all the hot air. Maybe you can get some insight by reading the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) blog on the topic at http://quakerscolonel.blogspot.com/.